Ethical Issues

Read the case study concerning Joelle below. Discuss the different ethical principles which can be applied in handling this situation. Which would you use and why? Must be in APA format and review atleast three of these ethical principles:

Egoism
Utility
Rights
Duties
Virtues

Thanks In Advance

Case Study:
Joelle, a high school senior, is planning a career as a chemical engineer. She has a well-paying afternoon and weekend job at a local chemical plant. Joelle's supervisors are impressed with her work and have said as a chemical engineer as soon as she completes her college education. They have even set up a scholarship fund to help pay for some of her college expenses.

One day while checking on supplies in the warehouse, Joelle noticed four workers loading a dozen old, rusty barrels onto a flatbed truck. The barrels were labeled "HAZARDOUS" and "DANGER." Several of them appeared to be leaking. The workers said that they didn't know what was in the barrels, but had been ordered to take them to the dump.

Later, Joelle asked her boss, Mr. Espinal, for more details. Looking a little uncomfortable, Mr. Espinal told Joelle that this was a company secret. Mr. Espinal made Joelle promise not to tell anyone. He then explained that the company saved thousands of dollars a year by dumping some of it's chemical waste in a lake at a nearby abandoned rock quarry, rather than paying for proper disposal. Joelle felt very uncomfortable upon learning this news. She knew that children rode their bikes in the hills around the quarry and that the city's water reservoir was only a couple of miles from the quarry.

When Joelle mentioned her concerns, Mr. Espinal reacted angrily. He told Joelle that the money saved through using "the dump" allowed the company to hire high school students for part-time jobs. He also made it clear that in hiring any chemical engineers who couldn't keep company secrets.

Joelle's mother is an editor at the city newspaper. Should Joelle mention "the dump" to her mother?

Solution Preview

The response addresses the queries posted in 613 words with references.

//The ethical principles have a great implication in the finding out the solutions of the critical problems related to different cases of the companies. There are a series of ethical principles which are very useful for the companies. In this series, the given case problem can also be solved on the basis of some ethical principles. Prior to describing the major principles, their introduction has been given. //

Ethical Principles:

In the given problem, Joelle has to decide whether she should tell about the dumping to her mother or not is based on the ethical aspects. This problem can be solved with the application of some ethical principles including egoism, utility, rights, duties and virtues. Egoism as an ethical principle is concerned with the principle that the individual should only take the decision favoring his or her ...

Solution Summary

The response addresses the queries posted in 613 words with references.